A news look for WMAR

ON MEDIA

Life after Garceau's retirement

Station uses fill-ins outside sports

July 25, 2008|By RAY FRAGER

Sitting in the shade, hoping for a breeze and flipping through the sports media notebook before using it as a coaster for a tall, cool drink:

*Since Scott Garceau's retirement from nightly sports anchoring duties, you might have noticed WMAR sometimes has its news anchor reading the sports report. This is just a temporary thing, said Bill Hooper, Channel 2's vice president and general manager, while the station seeks someone to work with Rob Carlin.

"We're looking at all our options for replacing Scott," Hooper said. Garceau was with WMAR for 28 years.

In the meantime, that means Carlin doing most of the sportscasting - "Rob will be our lead guy," Hooper said - with gaps filled by having news anchors or freelancers deliver sports content.

And you might even see a familiar face.

"Scott could be jumping back in on some of that stuff," Hooper said.

*The first of ESPN 1300's Ravens players' radio programs is set for this season, afternoon host Anita Marks said. Just-retired Jonathan Ogden and cornerback Chris McAlister will each do eight shows on Wednesday nights from 6 to 8, with Marks as co-host. Three more weeknight shows are still in the works, she said.

*For those inclined to engage in a bit of schadenfreude over recent problems with misbehavior by Penn State football players - such as those who contact The Sun sports department and refer to the school as State Pen - you don't want to miss Outside the Lines on Sunday (9:30 a.m., ESPN). The report, titled "Penn State: Concerns in Happy Valley," apparently reports a difference in how misdeeds are viewed inside the football program and outside it.

According to highlights from ESPN, coach Joe Paterno said: "I just think people got to understand that bringing in young kids, 18, 19, 20, you know, they're not perfect. They're not angels. They're very aggressive kids, or they wouldn't be guys who can compete in front of 110,000 people."

However, Paul Clark, a Penn State professor and vice chairman of the Faculty Senate Athletics Committee, said: "Penn State's a great university in a lot of respects - outstanding faculty, exceptional students, a great tradition. But this is really a black mark. It diminishes all of us."

*Speaking of college football, Maryland fans might be glad to hear the Terps' opener with Delaware on Aug. 30 is being televised by ESPN - except that it's on ESPNU. As in, U don't have that channel.

However, according to the ABC and ESPN schedules released this week, the Sept. 13 game against California is set for ESPN or ESPN2 and Nov. 6 against Virginia Tech is a Thursday night telecast on ESPN.

*Live, from New York, it's ... the Beijing Olympics?

NBC plans to do broadcasts of 10 sports with announcers calling the action from a studio in New York rather than on site in China, the Chicago Tribune reported recently. The affected sports will be archery, badminton, baseball, equestrian, fencing, handball, shooting, soccer, softball and tennis. (Some basketball also will be announced the same way.)

An NBC spokesman told the Tribune the move is being made at the behest of the International Olympic Committee, which hopes to cut down on the number of people descending on Beijing.

"This is part of a mandate from the IOC to reduce strain on the host city by bringing fewer people," Brian Walker said.

Here's hoping that when the commentators are addressing dressage via monitors, NBC at least orders out for Chinese food.

* Sunday's Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony airs on ESPN Classic at 1:30 p.m., featuring Rich Gossage, Dick Williams and Tim Kurkjian. The first two are getting plaques hung up in the Hall, but Timmy deserves one, too, for all those years when he had to put up with working with me.

* ESPN has moved its coronation of "TitleTown USA" from Sunday to Monday at 6 p.m. That gives you all plenty of time to adjust your schedules. I stopped watching when Trenton, N.J., didn't make the cut for the finalists.

* Jay Leno, perhaps with an eye out for a new gig after his Tonight Show job ends, will appear on the Speed Channel's 101 Cars You Must Drive on Monday at 9 p.m. Leno and host Alonzo Bodden will drive and talk about several cars on the 101 list. I wonder if that 1995 Saturn I used to have is on there.